Region 2 Request for Initial Proposals for FY 2005 Pollution Prevention Grant Competition

Table of Contents

Ove r view Information

Funding Opportunity Description:

Award Information

Eligibility Information

Proposal and Submission Information

APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

Award Administration Information

Agency Contact(s)

OVERVIEW:

Funding Agency: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2, Division of Environmental Planning and Protection, Strategic Planning and Multi-Media Programs Branch

Funding Opportunity Title: Pollution Prevention Grant Program

Announcement Type: Initial Announcement

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 66.708, Pollution Prevention Grants Program

Funding Opportunity Number: R2DEPP-FO-05-06

**Action Date(s):**
Receipt of Proposal	March 31, 2005, 5:00 pm EST
Request for Complete Application	May 2, 2005
Receipt of Complete Application	June 1, 2005
Final project selections:	September 30, 2005
Expected grant award notification	September 30, 2005

I. Funding Opportunity Description

The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) 66.708 uses of these funds are to build and support State and tribal pollution prevention approaches and methodologies. This program is focused on institutionalizing multimedia pollution prevention as an environmental management priority, establishing prevention goals, providing direct technical assistance to businesses, conducting outreach, and collecting and analyzing data.

Projects funded under this program must seek to reduce sources of pollution or eliminate waste across all environmental media -- air, land and water. Eligible applicants for purposes of funding under the P2 Grants Program include the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, any territory or possession of the United States, any agency or instrumentality of a State including State universities, and Indian tribes that meet the requirement for treatment in a manner similar to a State at 40 CFR §35.663 and intertribal consortia that meet the requirements at 40 CFR §35.504.

Matching funds are required. Organizations receiving pollution prevention grant funds are required to match Federal funds by at least 50 percent. For example, the Federal government will provide half of the total allowable cost of the project, and the State will provide the other half. A grant request for $100,000 would support a total allowable project cost of $200,000, with the State providing $100,000. State contributions may include dollars, in-kind goods and services, and/or third party contributions. If a Tribe or Intertribal Consortium is selected for award of a Pollution Prevention Grant and the Tribe includes the funds in a PPG awarded under 40 CFR Part 35, Subpart B, the required Tribal match for the Pollution Prevention portion of the PPG will be reduced to 5% of the allowable Pollution Prevention project cost for the first two years of the PPG grant. After the first two years in which a Tribe or Intertribal Consortium receives a Performance Partnership Grant, the Regional Administrator must determine through objective assessment whether the Tribe or the members of an Intertribal Consortium meet socio-economic indicators that demonstrate the ability of the Tribe or the Intertribal Consortium to provide a cost share greater than five percent.

EPA is authorized to award the referenced grants under the statutory authority of Section 6605, of the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 .

Under the statutory authority this grant program promotes the use of source reduction techniques by businesses. When evaluating the requests for grants under this section, the Administrator shall consider, among other things, whether the proposed State program would accomplish the following:

Make specific technical assistance available to businesses seeking information about source reduction opportunities, including funding for experts to provide onsite technical advice to businesses seeking assistance and to assist in the development of source reduction plans.
Target assistance to businesses for who lack of information is an impediment to source reduction.

Provide training in source reduction techniques. Such training may be provided through local engineering schools or any other appropriate means.

Regional funding priorities:

source reduction and pollution prevention;
design for the environment and green manufacturing;
environmentally preferable purchasing;
green building research and development (includes reuse of construction and demolition materials);
the minimization of Priority Chemicals (e.g. lead & lead compounds, naphthalene, Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds (PAHs), cadmium, and brominated flame retardants).
Sector Targeting: Aerospace, Agribusiness, Cement, Chemicals, Colleges and Universities, Computers and Electronics, Construction, Forest Products, Hospitals, Iron and Steel, Local Government, Meat Processing, Metal Casting, Metal Finishing, Mining, Paint and Coatings, Pharmaceuticals, Petroleum Refining, Ports, Printing, Shipbuilding and Ship Repair, Specialty-Batch Chemicals, and Wastewater Utilities.

II. Award Information

The Region expects to award roughly five grants this year to eligible applicants. EPA Region 2 may award up to a total of $480,000 in grants to eligible applicants. Individual awards do not exceed $100,000.

Those organizations from whom we request a complete application must submit all items noted in the EPA Region 2 Web page. Applications may be subject to Executive Order 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs". The application kit includes information and contacts for this process. Completed applications should be submitted to Roch Baamonde, Chief, Grants and Contracts Management Branch, noted below.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants: Assistance under this program is generally available to the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, any territory of or possession of the United States, any agency or instrumentality of a State including State universities, and Indian tribes that meet the requirement for treatment in a manner similar to a State at 40 CFR §35.663 and intertribal consortia that meet the requirements at 40 CFR §35.504.

B. Cost Sharing/Matching: Matching funds are required. See discussion in Section I above.

C. Other Eligibility Information: Please see section V below for the threshold criteria for this grant program.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Address for Requesting an Application

CONTACT	SUBMIT - 2 copies	SUBMIT
With requests for: ¯ Information ¯ Application Package ¯ Quality Assurance Guidance	Project Proposals and Work Plans	Complete Applications
Tristan Gillespie (212) 637-3753 gillespie.tristan@epa.gov Pollution Prevention and Permits Integration Team EPA Region 2 290 Broadway New York, NY 10007-1866	John Filippelli, Chief (212) 637-3504 filippelli.john@epa.gov Strategic Planning and Multi- Media Programs Branch EPA Region 2 290 Broadway New York, NY 10007-1866	Roch Baamonde, Chief (212) 637-3401 baamonde.roch@epa.gov Grants and Contracts Management Branch EPA Region 2 290 Broadway New York, NY 10007-1866

B. Content and Form of Proposal Submission: We encourage you to submit your proposal electronically, however, there is no penalty for submitting proposals by mail or through hand delivery/ courier.

Electronically. By e-mail to: gillespie.tristan@epa.gov. . If you submit an electronic proposal, include your name, mailing address, an e-mail address and phone number. Also include this contact information on the outside of any disk or CD ROM you submit, and in any cover letter accompanying the disk or CD ROM. This ensures that you can be identified as the submitter of the proposal and allows EPA to contact you in case EPA cannot read your proposal due to technical difficulties or needs further information.
By mail. Send your proposal to:
Tristan Gillespie, Pollution Prevention Coordinator, Pollution Prevention Team
EPA Region 2
290 Broadway
New York, NY, 10007-1866.
Please submit two copies.

Confidential business information needs be clearly marked and final confidentiality decisions will be made by EPA pursuant to Executive Order 11652 :

Proposals must include:

Cover page with the following information (The cover sheet does not count toward the page limit).
- Title and Number of this Funding Opportunity Announcement
- Your Organization's name
- Name of contact person for the project
- E-mail address for that contact
- Phone number for that contact
- Title/ Name of project proposal
- Amount of funding being requested
- One paragraph description (no more than 100 words) of your project workplan
Summary of key objectives and final products (expected outputs and outcomes)
Explanation of the project's role within the geographic region, organization, or agency
Thorough, concise description of work plan components
Demonstration of the appropriate background, academic training, field experience, and personnel to carry out the project
Estimated funding and personnel commitment for each work plan component
Time line
Performance evaluation process and reporting schedule
Roles and responsibilities of the recipient (and EPA if a cooperative agreement is proposed) in carrying out the work plan.
Description of opportunities for scale-up, expansion, and transferability of the project to a broader population, sector, or geographical area. Focus on how the methods and results of the project can be transferred or used to educate a broader population or area
PROPOSALS MUST NOT EXCEED FIVE (5) PAGES TOTAL (The cover sheet does not count toward the page limit). Any page after the fifth page will not be reviewed. Proposals must be written in Times New Roman twelve-point font, double-spaced. All margins must be one inch.
In addition to the proposal, if your organization is a prior EPA pollution prevention grant recipient, you must submit a copy of the status and final reports submitted for that grant.
Address one or more regional funding priorities:
- source reduction and pollution prevention;
- design for the environment and green manufacturing;
- environmentally preferable purchasing;
- green building research and development (includes reuse of construction and demolition materials);
- the minimization of Priority Chemicals (e.g. lead & lead compounds, naphthalene, Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds (PAHs), cadmium, and brominated flame retardants).;
- Sector Targeting: Aerospace, Agribusiness, Cement, Chemicals, Colleges and Universities, Computers and Electronics, Construction, Forest Products, Hospitals, Iron and Steel, Local Government, Meat Processing, Metal Casting, Metal Finishing, Mining, Paint and Coatings, Pharmaceuticals, Petroleum Refining, Ports, Printing, Shipbuilding and Ship Repair, Specialty-Batch Chemicals, and Wastewater Utilities.
Special emphasis will be placed this year upon grants which scale-up prior successes to achieve regional and, preferably, national impact.
Demonstrate a direct link between the project's activities and tangible, quantifiable reductions in pollution generated or in the use of natural resources
Identify and enumerate project deliverables
Request federal funds in a manner that is reasonable and cost-effective.

C. Submission Dates and Times: To be considered timely, applications and proposals must be received by the Agency, or include official documentation indicating EPA acceptance from a delivery service, on or before 5:00 pm EST on March 31th, 2005. Here is the full schedule of deadlines for this grant opportunity:


Receipt of Proposal	March 31, 2005, 5:00 pm EST
Request for Complete Application	May 2, 2005
Receipt of Complete Application	June 1, 2005
Final project selections:	September 30, 2005
Expected grant award notification	September 30, 2005

Proposals must be received no later than the date and time indicated above. If a proposal is submitted late, it will be returned to the applicant without a review/ evaluation and not be considered.

D. Intergovernmental Review: Applications may be subject to Executive Order 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." .

E. Funding Restrictions: Due to restrictions imposed in EPA's Appropriations Act, recipients may not use EPA grant funds to pay consultant salaries that exceed the "daily equivalent of the rate paid" Federal employees at Level IV of the Federal executive schedule ("the consultant fee cap"). The consultant fee cap is implemented at 40 CFR §30.27(b) for grants to non-profit organizations and universities, and grants to governmental bodies are covered by 40 CFR §31.36(j). These regulations provide additional information regarding the scope of the consultant fee cap, and the costs subject to the cap. The fact than an applicant identifies a consultant in its competitive grant proposal does not exempt the grantee from complying with the consultant fee cap.

F. Other Submission Requirements: Awards involving the collection of environmental data will be subject to the requirements of a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) and will require coordination with the EPA Region 2 offices. QAPP's can follow, as per the applicant's choice, either EPA Region 2 guidance or Headquarters guidance, EPA Requirements for Quality Assurance Project Plans EPA QA/R-5 [PDF 36 KB, 13 pp]. Please request a copy of the Region 2 Quality Assurance Project Plan guidance from Tristan Gillespie (see above for contact information).

V. Application Review Information

A. Criteria

Proposals will be reviewed and ranked using the evaluation criteria noted below. Submission of the proposal is the most significant phase in the competitive process. For proposed work plans that would collect environmental data, a quality assurance project plan is not required at the time of submittal but will be required if and when you are invited to submit a complete application for the next phase of the competition. Specific instructions for preparing the full application will be provided at that time. EPA Region 2 reserves the right to reject all proposals or applications and make no awards, or to make fewer awards than anticipated under this competition.

All applicants must meet all eligibility criteria as defined in Section III above and all proposed activities and costs must be eligible under the authorizing statute listed in Section I. Proposed work must address the pollution prevention priority environmental areas discussed in this announcement that impact one or more Region 2 States and Territories, i.e., New York, New Jersey, the Commonwealth Puerto Rico or the Territory of the Virgin Islands. Those projects not meeting the threshold criteria will not be further evaluated.

Threshold criteria:

applicant eligibility

project eligibility under the authorizing statute

Selection Criteria

A panel comprised of EPA staff will evaluate each proposal based upon the seven criteria listed below. The panel will review the proposals to determine their consistency with the administrative, relevancy and other technical requirements discussed in this announcement. The EPA panel will be comprised of reviewers who are able to demonstrate technical expertise. Proposals may receive up to 100 points.

Project Description (10 points)

Does the proposal present a clear description of the priority environmental problem(s) or issue(s) which the project will address and how the project will address the problems(s) or issue(s)?

Are the goals and tasks clear and concise?

Are the tasks, budget, time line etc. realistic?

Does the applicant appear qualified to successfully accomplish the proposed project?

Does the project leverage other public or private resources, including in-kind contributions?

Project Objective/Goals (15 points)

How well does the proposal meet one or more of the objectives listed under the Program Categories as defined in Section I?

Does the proposal specify realistic goals and objectives that deal with the environmental problems or issues identified?

Project Benefits (25 points)

Does the project include a well-conceived strategy to achieve goals and objectives?

Does the project make effective and judicious use of the requested federal grant funds? Does the project take a creative, innovative approach and/or implement successful models from other areas?

Will the project deliverables be transferable or useful to others?

Scale up of past successful projects, consistent with state/tribal and regional priorities, is strongly encouraged for grant applications in FY '05

Measurability of Project Results (25 points)

Will the project lead to measurable environmental improvements, e.g., amount of pollution prevented, waste reduced, reused, recycled or resources conserved. (See attached guidance "Demonstrating Measurable Results ")

Likelihood of success (10 points)

Will the project become self sustaining beyond EPA funding?

Will community and stakeholder support continue once the project has concluded (particularly substantive involvement of individuals or organizations best able to affect change, address community needs)?

Does the project have a realistic and achievable time line for project implementation?

Budget (10 points)

Does the budget use funds efficiently?

Is it appropriate to complete the tasks proposed?

Does the budget support the expected outcomes and outputs of the project?

Although matching funds are not required, can the project leverage other sources of funds (if matching funds are to be considered, they and their sources must be identified in the core proposal and documented in a letter from the contributing organization). Resources can also be leveraged by using volunteer personnel and services provided by another entity.

Programmatic capability (5 points)

To demonstrate administrative and management capabilities of your organization:

What are the qualifications of key personnel?

What are the proposed competitive processes for selection of contractors and subgrantees, if applicable?

What is the applicant's past performance (dating back 5 years) administering projects funded by EPA/ other federal agencies, state grants, or foundations?

In addition to the above criteria, the following consideration will be factored into the selection process:
Geographic diversity: All projects must take place in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands. Where a disproportionately low number of project proposals take place in any one of these four areas, the Region will consider this in making selection decisions.

B. Review and Selection Process

EPA will conduct the evaluation of proposals and make a selection based upon the rankings of the review panel and the other factors discussed in this announcement. The top ten highest-ranking proposals will be recommended to the Decision Official for consideration. The Decision Official is an EPA Region 2 Division of Environmental Planning and Protection manager who will determine which applicant(s) will be invited to submit a complete application for consideration in the second phase of the competition.

All projects must take place in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands. EPA Region 2 seeks to ensure that roughly the same numbers of projects occur in each of these four areas.

Upon receipt of a complete application, work plan, and budget, the approval official will forward their recommendations for funding award to the award official. When all funding decisions are complete, a grant award notification will be issued to recipients. Non-award notification will be issued to all participants that did not receive award this fiscal year.

Awards involving the collection of environmental data will be subject to the requirements of a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) and will require coordination with the EPA Region 2 offices. QAPP's can follow, as per the applicant's choice, either EPA Region 2 guidance or Headquarters guidance, EPA Requirements for Quality Assurance Project Plans EPA QA/R-5 [PDF 36 KB, 13 pp]. Please request a copy of the Region 2 Quality Assurance Project Plan guidance from Tristan Gillespie, contact above.

VI. Award Administration Information

A. Award Notices

The organizations whose proposals were selected will be requested to submit a full, detailed application for consideration in the second phase of the competition. Complete applications must be submitted in accordance with the guidance provided at the EPA Region 2 Web page. The number of applications requested will depend upon the quality of the proposals received and the relative amount of funding requests in the context of fiscal year 2005 Region 2 monies.

Proposals or applications may be rejected because they fail to comply with the administrative requirements of the Request for Proposals, they are found to lack relevancy, or they are judged technically unacceptable. EPA reserves the right to reject all proposals or applications and make no awards, or make fewer awards than anticipated under this competition.

Pertaining to award appeals: Award disputes will be resolved pursuant to the process described in 40 CFR §30.63 and §31, subpart F.

B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

Applicants must comply with the standard requirements, terms and conditions of EPA assistance agreements. Funded activities must be allowable under EPA statutory authority (see Section I). All recipients must have a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number on their formal SF424 applications. A DUNS number can be obtained by calling 1-866-705-5711. A DUNS number is not required until full application is submitted.

C. Reporting

If your proposal is selected for a grant award, the following types of reports will be required:

Semi-annual progress reporting: Organizations that are awarded grant funds for the Pollution Prevention Grant Program will be required to submit semi-annual progress reports, during the life of the project, to the EPA Project Officer. Each report will summarize funds expended, tasks accomplished, and results achieved to date.
Annual Financial Status Reports (see 40 CFR §§30.52 and 31.41)
A final report: A summary final report will also be required at the end of the project period. This final report should include a discussion of the prospects for continuation, further development of the pollution prevention effort, project evaluation and future direction.

Agency Contact

Tristan Gillespie
(212) 637-3753
gillespie.tristan@epa.gov
Pollution Prevention and Permits Integration Team
EPA Region 2
290 Broadway
New York, NY 10007-1866